It's true that the vw 1.9 and tdi engine block is a dedicated block for the
purpose, and not very related to any vw gas inline 4 blocks currently being
made , or for the last decade and a half even. 
But, originally, after they came out with the Rabbit car in 74/75 or so, the
first 1500 vw diesel engines in that car, were derived directly from the gas
version.   . I have heard of people changing a 1500 from gas to diesel or
the other way around, just by changing pistons and head.
 So he's 'a little right' but not completely. 

-----Original Message-----
From: Vanagon Mailing List [mailto:vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com] On Behalf Of
Karl Mullendore
Sent: Friday, December 07, 2007 7:47 AM
To: vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM
Subject: Re: diesel Vanagon vs. MB, Volvo, other diesel VW

You might be confused: the VW diesel block, while SIMILAR in appearance,
is not a 'converted gasser block'. The diesel block is quite a bit
stronger.

Yes, the Mercedes is a stout design and more or less reliable, but just
like a VW they have little issues from time to time.

Allan Streib wrote:
> I'd heartily endorse a Mercedes diesel, if you can live with a sedan.
> You can easily get a good one for your budget.  You can find a wagon
> but they tend to commmand premium prices.
>
> They are very well made, the engines are actually designed to be
> diesels, not converted gasser blocks like a VW.  If you work on your
> own cars, you will find the Mercedes generally easy to work on.